The Cast Photo by Diane Sobolewski

The men who imagined and then fashioned this completely enticing nonstop show have explained there is an actual basis for their story. Some research reveals that, in 1932, emus were hindering crops growing in Western Australia. In order to address the problem, a few people of the Royal Australian Artillery were advised to take their machine guns and do away with these birds who did not fly. In short, that mission was not triumphant.

Silberstein and Hodge began, as early as 2017, to formulate a musical which Goodspeed included in its 2023 Festival of New Musicals. The show has plenty of zip, pizzazz, and a fair measure of hilarity. Director/choreographer Amy Anders Corcoran is formative with movement and dance choices (including a few brief, crackling tap dance opportunities). Music director Angie Benson is also on keyboard while conducing guitarist Billy Bovina and drummer Ed Fast. The musicians are positioned at the rear of the stage near a screen. Isaac Hayward supplies orchestrations. Colleen Doherty's shifts in lighting (upon the screen) augment the performances.

One caveat: The Great Emu War is loud and, at times, blaring. Hence (and only upon occasion), the instrumental music works against delivery of dialogue. A better balance would be helpful.

LaRaisha DiEvelyn Dionne, cast as The Bush Bard, is adept with her narration throughout. Edith (Claire Saunders) is oftentimes the appealing focal point of the production. She sings "Backwards" and later shows that she is a bird who very much wishes to mate. She combines with Ethan (Ethan Peterson) on "Love Doesn't Start with A Bang." Jeremy Davis plays Enoch, who is Edith's father and a likable sort of fellow. That is not the case when it comes to Major Meredith (Taylor Matthew), a caricature of a military sort, one who proclaims that he hates birds and who wants to shoot emus. McMurray (Morgan Cowling) is kind of an assistant to Major Meredith and does not necessarily agree with the man. Matthew brings us a disciplined Meredith who is terrific with his rendition of "Gallipoli."

Paul Hodge provides neat variance with his music and lyrics. His tempos are accelerating, then slower to fit with a mood. Edith and Ethan, benefitting from Corcoran's direction, captivate with a rollicking "Boom." "Fly Solo" is a charming, affecting ballad. Enoch and Ethan sing the song together midway into the proceedings while Ethan and Edith combine their voices to present it in reprise later.

Costume designer Herin Kaputkin (who has designed for Connecticut theatre companies such as Yale Rep, Goodspeed, and TheaterWorks) excels with her selections here. Those actors playing emus initially appear with small bird-like configurations attached to their fingers. A further example would be Claire Saunders, as Edith, who wears a bushy, feathery contraption behind her to fully demonstrate just who she is. Kaputkin wisely stays away from attempting to fully replicate an actual emu. Rather, she goes with appealing, attractive visual indicators.

The ensemble is, to a person, vivacious and refreshing. Three weeks into its Terris Theatre run, this is a feisty, very much in-your-face experience. Cast members include many seasoned actors and youthful Ethan Peterson, who recently graduated from Penn State University. Claire Saunders embodies a smiling, passionate Edith, and Taylor Matthew is consistently the almost cartoonish bad guy Major Meredith. Jeremy Davis, Morgan Cowling, and oftentimes on stage LaRaisha DiEvelyn Dionne, all high-spirited, contribute to fun, playful diversion.

There must be a next chapter for this show, which certainly deserves to continue somewhere, somehow. Silberstein and Hodge began with a vigorous notion and the Goodspeed has enabled them to nurture it thus far.

The Great Emu War runs through October 26, 2025, at Goodspeed Musicals, Terris Theatre, 33 N Main St., Chester CT. For tickets and information, please call 860-873-8668 or visit goodspeed.org.